User Reviews

Pours black but slightly lighter heft appearance maybe than average. That 3/4" tan head sticks around for what feels like infinity. Aroma hits the usual suspect chocolate malt roast realm.

I like the non complicated taste, simple, roast, 2 row, heft, smooth oatmeal in the mouthfeel. You get a minor amount of coffee like impression from the roasting. Clean neutral ale yeast. Reliable and consistent it was.

Appearance: A beautiful stout pour, with a massive beige head laying on top of the black liquid; great retention and many spots of lace

Smell: Oatmeal and chocolate, with brown sugar and a hint of raisin

Taste: Chocolate, up front, with a bit of roast and raisin developing by mid-palate, when the sweeter brown sugar influence kicks in; a bit of mocha, after the swallow, though the finish is marshmallow sweet, with a bit of a breakfast cereal character

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body and creamy, with moderate carbonation

Overall: Although this was bottled on 2/1/10, it still drinks nicely; not a great oatmeal stout, but a very good one

atmosphere is pretty solid. deep dark appearance, decent enough head for the style. nose has a great combination of roasted grains, coffee, and chocolate. flavor follows suit. not complicated but tastes like it smells....coffee, hearty malt, dark chocolate. overall this is a really good quaff.

T - Coffee, semisweet chocolate, light caramel, and heavy bread. Again, tons of flavor for a lower alcohol brew. A mounting char bitterness and light astringency mars things as one approaches the bottom of the glass.

M - A little gritty and prickly - I much prefer the nitro-tap serving type. Medium-light body verges on watery. There's a bit of oatmeal creaminess, but it's largely obscured by the bubbles.

D - I'm sad they retired this from the bottle lineup, as it was probably my favorite year-round offering. The draft carbonation is a bit bloaty for sessions, but otherwise it's a very flavorful offering that is under-appreciated.

12oz bottle into Delirium tremens snifter. Thanks to the generous BA who sent me this extra months ago. Bottled over a year ago on 2/1/2010.

A: Pours darn near black with a huge, thick, dark brown head that slowly faded into a thin collar leaving very little lace.
S: I get predominant notes of bitter chocolate with hints of caramel and dry oats. Pretty straight forward.
T: Big notes of chocolate syrup with a touch of molasses. There is a hint of cream and toasted oats in the finish. Aftertaste is sugary and quick with a hint of coffee that lingers.
M: Tingly carbonation with a fairly thin mouthfeel and body that is on the lighter side of medium.
O: Glad I got to try it but there are better out there. There’s nothing wrong with this beer, it’s just not that memorable.

Poured a deep brown/black, thick and opaque, no light getting through on this one. A nice one inch head faded somewhat quickly to leave a nice quarter inch layer of lace on the top. Very nice streaking down the glass at first, but as it warmed this ceased. Smell was very sweet. First hints are of roasted coffee, rich and very full. Nice aromas of sugar, caramle and the slightest bit of chocolate are up next.The taste was wonderful, albeit a little thin for a stout, but still the flavors themseleves were great. Coffee the biggest flavor here, followed by caramel and chocolate rounding the corners off, maybe even a touch of a smoked scent in there, very nice. Good carbonation, however looses a couple points for the thin feel. Very nice smooth finish, not dry at all. This one definatly asks you back for another try. This is very sessionable, goes down almost too easy, could drink it in a gulp almost, good call IMO.

A - Black beer, little brown on the edges with a tan head, looks quite stoutish.

S - Chocolate, roast, little bit of oat, great malt backbone.

T - Surprising burst of great flavor in this. I am surprised at how good this is. Nicely roasty and bitter, with a creamy oat backbone. This is one of the better efforts I've had by GI other than their BCS, could drink this a lot.

M - Creamy, fairly full bodied, slightly flat though.

D - Great beer, really like it and would gladly drink it again in this form.

While studying for my PDAT 401 exam I decided to grab a brew to go along with my study guide writing. I knew I loved this when it was widely available in bottles, so it would only assume I'd enjoy this on draft. Boy did I.

A- Fake darkness, creme brulee burnt sugar-like cap, and a ridiculous creamy appearance. Fantastic retention on the head and a very resistant lacing that definitely lasted throughout the experience. Strong residence time overall for all appearance elements.

T- The opening is both burnt and roasted malts, and rich cocoa powder. It pretty much fades slowly as a whole until the finish takes over. This is where the big difference is. It has a bitter hopped finish that is melded with sweetened coffee. Unreal.

M- Not the best here. Watery rather than full bodied for a stout. However, this didn't hide my discovery of how smooth this felt. It had hints of creamy nature that would fully come out if this was only a bit thicker.

D- Easily one of my favorite oatmeal stouts. Fantastic. No complaints that would stop me from drinking this night after night. Alcohol isn't a major player but it also doesn't distract. This beer is 'sessionable.' I just wish it was a bit thicker in terms of oral sensations.

On tap into a taster...This is a re-review based upon more experience and drinking it on tap verse the 2 times I've had it in the bottle...On tap its a much better beer, one worth searching out...Black pour with a light tan head, nice creamy with good retention...A light roasty coffee aroma not strong but enough to wet your appetite...The taste is super smooth and easy to drink. A little sweeter than the aroma but still a lot of roastiness, not very bitter.

T - Roasted oatmeal, barley, and stout are strong in the taste. Some coffee with a touch of creamy, sweetness. Some milk and dark chocolate and cocoa come out mid sip as well. A good mix of roasted bitterness and sweetness. Hints of earthy and nutty flavors in the background. Maybe a hint of hops also come out.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass. The label has a brief description and a "bottled on" date but no ABV%.

Appearance: The body has a very dark black colored body that blocks out the light. A light tan head caps off this opaque brew. From the pour I got a good two fingers of thick foam that slowly fades to a much thinner as I drink. It does hang on to the end and along the way it leaves some lace on the glass.

Smell: In the nose there is a mix of bittersweet dark and roast malts with very light hops underneath.

Taste/Palate: The flavor is full of delicious dark roasted goodies. There is a nice play between bitter sweet dark chocolate, caramel like notes and mild hop bitterness. It's a just a little bit light on the palate but smooth and easy drinking.

A: Pours a fairly dark brown, mostly opaque at first but slowly reveals some amber highlights. There is a 1 finger light mocha head. Fairly good head retention at first, but half way it basically disappears completely

S: Chocolate, oat, some wheat, roasted malt and a touch of nuttiness

T: Follows the nose exactly. Chocolate and roasted malt are the main flavors I get

S: Light, but not thin. Somewhat smooth and creamy. Maybe just a tad too much carbonation. Subtle bitterness left on the tongue

D: Light, easy drinking stout. Not too filling or high in alcohol, so I could polish off a few of these with no problem